The Banker (Banker 1)

I walked onto the property then made my way into the main building. A friend of my father’s ran the vineyard, and from what I could recall, he wasn’t just a winemaker. His hands were just as dirty as my father’s.

I checked in with his assistant before I stepped inside.

The last time I saw Crow Barsetti, I was just a child. His features weren’t easy to remember because I was just too young, but I did remember his eyes. They were unique with their green and hazel color. Now decades had passed, and he was a different man from the one I’d met all those years ago—but his eyes were still the same.

He rose from behind his desk and joined me near the door, examining me like he was trying to place me in his mind. “Siena Russo…are you Stefan’s daughter?”

He had a good memory. “I’m glad you remember me.”

“Vaguely,” he said simply. “How can I help you, Siena? Your father well?”

“Uh…not really.” I crossed my arms over my chest and hoped this man would risk everything to help me. It didn’t make sense why he would, but I had to try. Maybe he would take pity on me.

“What is it?” Tall and strong, he was a man who had aged well. Spending his days working at a winery had obviously kept him in shape. There were pictures scattered across his desk, probably pictures of his family.

“My father has been captured by Micah and his men. My brother is missing, and I’m not sure what’s going on with the business.”

He sighed quietly. “I’m sorry to hear that, Siena.” He seemed sincere.

“Micah made a deal with me. If I bring him a man he wants, he’ll let my father go. If I don’t…he’ll kill me and my father.” I left out the rape part. That was a subject no one ever wanted to discuss.

“Who’s the man?”

“Cato Marino.”

Crow sighed as he rubbed the back of his neck. “So he gives you a mission you have no chance of completing…”

“It seems that way.”

“I’m sorry, Siena. I warned your father he should walk away from the business. A criminal life will only last so long…before that luck runs out. I stopped my weapons business when I married my wife. We both wanted a simple life.”

“Good for you. I wish my father had done the same.” Perhaps my mother would still be alive right now if he had.

He gave me a look full of pity. “I know you’re going to ask for my help. But before you do, I have to tell you about my family. My brother and I have been running this winery for thirty years. Now I’m grooming my son-in-law to take it over. I have two grandsons. Reid is two and Crow Jr. is one.”

I smiled. “He was named after you.”

“Yes.” His happiness didn’t mirror mine. “I’ve fought many wars over my lifetime. I can’t do it anymore. I’m very sorry, Siena. Truly. But I can’t put my family in jeopardy, not when we finally have the peace we worked so hard for.”

How could I argue with a man who just wanted to protect his family? He’d made the right decision when my father didn’t. He’d walked away from his business and criminal ties to protect his family. He wasn’t greedy and selfish like my father. He’d made the right call. “I understand.” Crow Barsetti deserved the peace he’d fought for—and I would never take that away from him. “You’re right.”

He tilted his head slightly, his eyes full of pity. “Want my advice?”

“Please.” I lifted my eyes to meet his.

“Run.”

My heart started to palpitate.

“Your father wouldn’t want you to risk your life for his. He wouldn’t want you to attempt this mission and get killed. And if you fail, Micah will just hunt you down. Take whatever money you have left and run.”

It was good advice, the same advice I would give to anyone else.

“Stefan had his chance to choose a peaceful life. He didn’t take it. You shouldn’t be punished for that, Siena.”

He was absolutely right. I shouldn’t be punished for my father’s stupidity. “I agree with you. But my loyalty won’t allow me to give up. His blood is my blood. I know if our places were switched, he wouldn’t give up.”

“That’s different. He’s your father. That’s his burden—not yours. And as a father and a grandfather, I can promise you he would want you to run. He would want you to leave him to die. If my daughter were in that position…I would want her to run as hard as she could. My memory would live on with her anyway.”

It was a sweet thing to say, especially since it was so sincere. “I still can’t do it.” I couldn’t let my father rot in that prison until they tortured him to death. “I would never be happy anyway. I would constantly wonder if he’d been killed yet. And if he had been killed, the guilt would haunt me forever. He doesn’t deserve my loyalty…but he has it anyway.”